Odd, round bursts of bright lights in night sky

Has anyone else witnessed "flashes" of light bursts at night? These flashes don't encompass the entire skyline, rather they are focused points of light that start as a pinpoint and expand quickly to about the diameter of the full moon (as we view it from earth), then quickly closes back in on itself.

My spouse and I have witnessed this several times since we moved to the western part of the US last year, and they all seem to occur within the same area of the atmosphere.

It should be noted that there is nothing in sky (planes, lights, UFO's), when these flashes disappear, but they happen within about 2 seconds. They show up, then they are completely gone. At times, there have been successive flashes within about 15 minutes of each other, yet there is never anything in the sky. It appears that this is taking place outside of our atmosphere, and the way that the light appears and disappears strikes me as being like something one would see in a sci-fi movie with a wormhole that is opening and closing. (For lack of a better way of describing it.)

I want to purchase some high-powered night binoculars that can view objects within our atmosphere, but until then, I'm left wondering if we're the only ones who have seen these.

reply to post by emeraldzeus


Are the lights in motion across the sky? Satellites often "flare" reflected sunlight. Though the "diameter of the full moon" description doesn't quite fit.

You can predict the appearance of the Iridium satellite flares on this site. heavens-above.com...

It is possible that you're watching meteorites exploding as they enter the atmosphere at very high speeds. But, that doesn't explain them appearing in the same region or the fact that they "look" like wormholes. But, nonetheless, that's the most likely explanation.

reply to post by Phage


No, it's not a satellite or a flare. This occurs late at night, long after sunset, and the "flash" does not move. In fact, it occurs in the same spot at times, over 15 minutes (or so) intervals. It's completely stationary.

It has me baffled!

reply to post by PeteLee


No, we watch meteor showers all the time, as we are in a prime location to enjoy such a show! When the full moon isn't out, we can view the Milky Way quite easily. We see these all the time, and know what they look like. These flashes are completely different, and are not the same color of "white" as meteorites typically produce when entering the atmosphere. Keep in mind, they reoccur in the same spot, and the light opens and closes in a perfect circle, the same size every time. We've witnessed this "light" many times since we've been here. I don't believe it is a natural - it's too precise.

I have seen something similar to what you’re describing. I have only witnessed this once but it was very strange. The color of the light was an intense violet. It was as if someone turned on a spot light. When the light began to fade away the electrical power of my entire block went out. A friend witnessed the same thing happen a few days later on the opposite side of the city. My guess is the timing of the power outage was just a strange coincidence. Still, it was a sight to see.

reply to post by emeraldzeus


Try to eliminate possibilities. First, most obvious, are the lights well above the horizon? If not, take a look in daylight. Anything obvious in the area; mountain road, airport, lighthouse (kidding...maybe)?

It sounds intriguing.

reply to post by Phage


Trust me - we've pondered all the possibilities. I *believe* I have also seen this happen during daylight hours, however, it is so quick that it usually catches my attention out of the corner of my eye and by the time I've turned to look, it's gone. It's harder to see during the day because of the sunlight, but I do believe it happens during the day as well. In fact, two weekends ago, there were several flashes that kept catching the corner of my eye no mater where I was standing, but all the flashes were happening in the same spot. (In other words, it wasn't something in my eye, because it didn't matter where I was standing or looking - down, left, right, etc.)

This does not occur directly above us, nor is it on the horizon - about halfway between, but definitely way up there. In degrees, I can't tell you, because my expertise is not in astronomy. It's too far up to be towers of any sort, and WAY too far out in the atmosphere. I live in the mountains, and this happens way above the tops of the mountains.

reply to post by emeraldzeus


I have witnessed something like this about a month ago. Just like a star that turns on/off.. flashes. Started around 11 p.m. EST and ended around 1 a.m.. I watched it for a couple weeks. There was another post I put up about it then because someone else mentioned something similar. Of course, most people say you are just seeing a star twinkle, iridium flares, etc..... but that is not the case.

I'll have to see if the flash is still occurring... but must wait until this moon brightness decreases a little!

reply to post by beyondtopsecret


Wow, a violet light? Neat! No, this was a bright white light, but your description of a "spotlight" is similar to our experience. It is perfectly round, and gets no bigger than the diameter of the full moon, then POOF! it's gone again. No power outages....BUT....in recent weeks, we've been experiencing an alarming number of dropped cell phone calls, "interruptions" in satellite feeds, and numerous other things having to do with satellite services we receive. This is HIGHLY abnormal for us! For almost a year, we enjoyed NO dropped calls, crystal clear reception, perfect satellite reception for internet and television, and now....almost every day, we experience something, and our calls are getting disconnected almost daily. This is not normal, since our area is known for having great reception for the cell phone service provider we use.

I have no idea if the two are related, but it seems as though there are some major atmospheric disruptions going on. We live in an area with little to no rain, and very few cloudy days. It's NOT the weather!

We've also noticed an increase in those flashing "disco-ball" like stars in the sky as well. A few weeks ago, I counted well over twenty of them, and they AREN'T stars. They come and go, some are stationary, and others move. They aren't on any star charts I own, and they flash red, green, blue, and other colors in succession. I also witnessed these when we lived on the east coast, but not nearly as many. Light pollution makes it hard to see them, however, on a night with a New Moon, they are everywhere, and they stick out like sore thumbs because they don't flash like normal stars.

I know I brought up a lot of things to ponder, but I'm looking for connections. If any of you live in the US, and can see stars at night, you'll be able to witness them too. I don't know if these disco-ball lights can be viewed overseas or not.

Yeah, I've seen this. Like a tiny flashbulb. Really quick, and in one place. Does not light up surrounding area. If you are not looking directly at it, you won't see it.

Like a faraway explosion.

Is this a correct description?

[edit on 17-10-2008 by spaceweasel]

"they all seem to occur within the same area of the atmosphere."

Some atmospheric conditions may reflect ground light sources, check your area for entertainment venues/stadiums/floodlights/other sources of "spot" lighting that may for whatever reason be directed upwards.

Perhaps using google earth tracing roughly from your location to the direction noticed.

edit:

" "disco-ball" like stars " "Light pollution makes it hard to see them"

This does sound like you have some kind of haze/layer or poor viewing in the area, if it were totally clear there would be no light pollution (nothing for it to reflect off)

[edit on 18-10-2008 by stringue]

Three flashbulbs in this raw recording of a satellite a month ago. You can see them at :10, :40, and 1:10 into the recording. Was attempting to record an Iridium satellite but ended up tracking a regular satellite in the same spot of sky.



This was recorded to a Canon MiniDV camcorder off the composite output of an iGen NV20/20 set on black and white.

I know what your seeing.I have seen it.
It is lightning.
I know I know your going to say "No its not lightning".
There is different types of lightning.
Not all strike the ground in the typical sense.
Some lightning just looks like flashes of light way up in the sky.

Mods - please delete my anonymous post with the YouTube video from earlier.

I've seen the bright flashes in the night sky before too. Last month I was recording a satellite and ended up getting three of the flashes on tape. You can see them at :10, :40, and 1:10 into the recording.



This was recorded onto a Canon MiniDV camcorder from the composite output off an iGen NV20/20 monocular.

reply to post by Interestinggg


Starred!

/2nd line, /knocks head against desk for not thinking of this

The video you just posted.
When you are shooting it.
You put it on posterize effect.
Then just before the light you move the camera wildly.
That explains the flash of light.
It looks larger than the normal stars because you moved it quickly.
It somewhat smears the light across the lens making it appear larger.
This is an optical illusion with the camera.

reply to post by allegedsatellite


The flashes on your video are probably meteors:

A streak or flash with no moving body visible is 0.2 to 0.3 second, which constitutes the majority of meteors.

Source

reply to post by Interestinggg



I believe you are refering to the large, bright star that appears at the top of the screen for a second when I'm moving the camera around.

The three, seperate flashes I'm refering to in the video are different from the large white blob.

Well there is something moving in your video. Looks like a very slow moving satellite. I have seen those flashes before but I always thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, very interesting!

[edit on 18-10-2008 by 38181]